Allen & Unwin have published a new book called ‘Surveillance’. Written by Crikey correspondent Bernard Keane, this thriller is about security in the digital age, and how far governments may go to conceal the truth.

Are e-books entering a new phase of the digital revolution?

The first generation Kobo eReader (Source: Kobo)

3 years since eBooks hit the market by storm, the eBook revolution is now entering a new phase. Phase 1 can be summed up with two words: ‘market capitalisation’, with Kobo, Amazon, Sony and the ‘Nook’ (Barnes & Noble’s exclusive eReader) emerging as the top four bestselling eReaders around the world. Australia’s uptake has been slower, in part due to the closure of Borders bookstores in 2011, which ended for several months distribution of the entry-level Kobo eReader. Competitors such as Dymocks did not, at the time, have any entry-level eReaders – their offers were in the ~A$3oo range.

But now that the eReader fight has subsided, with eReaders being sold widely, not just in bookstores, the fight has turned to content licensing. And the field isn’t a pretty one.